The 2000 International Hearing Aid Research (IHEAR) Conference will be the first meeting of a new biennial research conference formed by combination of two previous hearing aid research conferences, the Lake Arrowhead Conference, Issues in Advanced Hearing Aid Research, sponsored biennially by House Ear Institute (HEI) from 1990-1998 and the Hearing Aid Research and Development Conference co-sponsored biennially by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) from 1995-1997. The purpose of both previous conferences has been to advance our knowledge and to facilitate progress in research and development through the exchange of current research findings and technical advancements related to the treatment of hearing impairment with hearing aids. A hallmark of both conferences has been their ability to draw together the disciplines and specialties essential to the advancement of hearing aid research. However, the pace of scientific research and advancements in the field is such that annual meetings of two biennial conferences are too frequent for significant progress to have occurred between each meeting. Each conference also has particular strengths that complement those of the other conference. A primary goal of the IHEAR Conference is to combine the complementary strengths of the two conferences to create a single biennial research conference that will better meet the needs of the hearing aid research and development field.